Chapter 3 - Near Miss
Chatting happily to each other, Julie and Susan wandered from shop to shop,
discussing guys, clothes, and what exactly they were going to buy.
Both girls were totally lost in the bustling shopping centre. They had only a
handful of trips to the place between them, as they had never had any money.
Now, with a couple of hundred dollars to spend and a vague suggestion to get
some clothes, they were free to buy a whole lot of things.
Side-by-side, they approached the next shop in the row.
"Julie..." Susan started, looking a little nervous at the scantily clad models
in the window.
"Oh, come on!" Julie said, laughing softly. "We don't have to buy anything!"
Susan didn't appear reassured as she followed Julie into the lingerie store, her
eyes darting from side to side at the racks of flimsy, silk garments. Her gaze
passed over several images on the labels as she walked, and found her cheeks
warming at how daring some of them were.
"Julie..." she hissed after the older girl. "I don't think I should be in here!"
"It's not like you haven't worn this stuff before," Julie replied over her
shoulder, smiling at the way Susan blushed further.
"Hmm," Julie said thoughtfully, pausing in front of one of the racks to search
through the items weighing it down. Pulling a top free on its hanger, she turned
and compared it to Susan.
"Julie, I'm not trying anything on here!" she whispered, glancing around
anxiously. The fact that it was empty apart from them and the sales girl at the
counter didn't make any difference.
"We can go out the back," Julie suggested with a smile.
Susan groaned loudly, but Julie wasn't giving in that easily, and she soon had
Susan in the changing room.
"Are you ready?" Julie asked, standing outside the curtain.
"Not yet," Susan replied in a hushed tone. "Couldn't you have got a different
size... something not so tight?"
"Well, come out and give me a look," Julie told her.
Susan stuck her head around the edge of the curtain, and glanced either way.
"Can you come in here instead?" she asked, her cheeks warming.
"Why's that?" Julie asked, giving her a confused look.
"I err... you can see the... the belt," she stammered, her eyes darting left and
right.
Giving her a chastising look, Julie took hold of the curtain and tugged it
across the rail. Susan let out a squeal, and immediately her hands went to cover
her top. The waistband of the belt was clearly visible above her pants, and it
didn't take much imagination to guess where the top of the crotch-band went.
"Put your hands down," Julie said in an exasperated tone. "There's no-one else
here!"
Susan took a step back into the changing room, and slowly lowered her hands.
"It fits perfectly!" Julie said, her violet gaze wandering over Susan's chest.
"It's too tight across here," Susan said, her cheeks warming as she indicated
either side of her small, essentially bare breasts.
The slightly pinkish-white lace top started just above her breasts and clung to
her figure down to the waist-band of the belt. Thin, almost invisible straps
traced up over her shoulders, holding up the flimsy garment. The soft, silk
fabric had an intricate design across it, inscribing swirls and vague flowery
shapes across her skin. The tightest part of it was around her chest, Julie
noted, where the two essentially transparent cups lifted and held her small
breasts.
"It looks fine," Julie told her firmly, reaching out and adjusting one of the
cups, much to Susan's dismay.
"I think we have some stockings and some gloves back home," Julie mused, pulling
at the top. "If we find some panties that we don't mind getting torn off you,
you'll look perfect for tonight!"
"Can I help you ladies?" the sales girl asked cheerfully, coming up behind
Julie.
Susan's head snapped up from watching Julies' hands, her eyes wide with horror.
She made a choking noise, and raised her arms to cover herself, retreating into
the changing room.
"We're fine at the moment," Julie said smoothly. The sales girl frowned at
Susan.
"You're supposed to wear your underwear when trying things on here," she said.
Susan made a small whimper and looked at the pile of clothes beside her. There
was her shirt, and her jumper, but no bra.
The sales girl glanced at the pile, then to the belt around Susan's waist, and
then up at Julie, taking in the violet eyes returning her gaze. Slowly the blood
drained from her face.
"Y...you're one of t...them!" she stammered, looking too terrified to even take
a step back.
Julie grimaced.
"Yes I'm one of them. I'm so glad that everyone keeps reminding me, or I might
forget!" Her voice was full of wounded sarcasm, and she sounded on the verge of
tears. She turned away suddenly, and hurried down to the other end of the line
of changing rooms, covering her face with her hands.
The sales girl stood silently, torn between taking the chance to get away and
staring in astonishment.
"She's an orphan," Susan said softly. "Her parents left her here as a baby."
Julie hadn't told anyone other than Simeon about Seth being her father; she was
still trying to sort out her feelings over his absence.
"So... she didn't come with the... the rest of them?"
Susan shook her head
"I... I'm sorry," the sales girl said after a long moment. "I didn't know."
She glanced at Susan, and then down at the top she was still wearing.
"If you want... I can sell that cheap... it's the least I can do." Susan smiled
at the offer.
"You can buy those panties then, too!" the sales girl added with a wink.
Susan almost died with shame.
Why is it that you can live with people your whole life, and then they learn
you're a bit different to them and you suddenly become someone to be feared and
despised? Julie sighed, drying her eyes with one hand. Feeling sorry for herself
wasn't going to help.
She turned away from the wall, and slowly walked back down the line of change
rooms. They were all empty now, their curtains pushed to one side. She entered
the main store, and saw Susan over by the counter. The sales girl was there,
putting some things into a bag for her. She looked up at Julie, and gave her a
weak smile.
Julie gave her an uncertain one in reply, but didn't deviate from her line to
the door. She met Susan there, and they walked out into the shopping centre
together.
"I got them half-price!" Susan related, almost giggling with excitement as she
held up the paper bag. "And I had enough money to get a matching pair of
panties, like you suggested!" She paused for a moment, and looked up at Julie in
concern.
"Are you okay?" she asked cautiously. Julie nodded.
"I'll be fine, don't worry about it."
"She said she was sorry about it... she actually seemed a little interested...
she even asked about the... the belt."
"And what did you tell her?" Julie asked, smiling slyly.
"Oh... she wanted to know whether it was all see-through, and whether it was
comfy, and whether I could take it off..."
"Did you say that only your boyfriend and I have a key?" Julie asked, sounding
amused.
"I told her... my boyfriend has the key..." Susan gripped the bag tightly, as if
trying to hide her embarrassment behind it. Julie laughed at this.
"She looked a bit shocked!" Susan said, smiling slightly.
"Well, not every guy keeps his girl under lock and key," Julie said with a
laugh. "Hey, let's go there for lunch."
Julie paused to indicate a small cafe set up in an open area of the shopping
centre.
"Sure!"
The girls chatted quietly as they waited in the short line. A tall blonde haired
man came up behind them, standing a little close for Julie's comfort. He gave
her a slight smile when she turned to frown at him.
"What's with him?" Susan whispered, moving closer to Julie.
"Hey," he said suddenly, touching Julie on the shoulder. "You're one of those
Mistresses, aren't you?" Julie stiffened at his touch, and turned to glare at
him.
She was taken aback by the look of fascination on his face. He wasn't scared, or
angry, or wary... he was interested in her!
"Yeah, I am," she replied after a moment, her glare softening somewhat.
"So, are you two...?" He glanced at Susan, and his face lit up with a grin at
her look of mortification.
"None of your business," Julie said firmly, putting an arm around Susan and
stepping up to the counter.
Why am I so annoyed, she wondered; he was nothing but nice!
Telling her self to relax, Julie and Susan sat down at a nearby table to wait.
Susan placed her bag on one of the chairs beside her, where she could watch it.
"You're sure you're okay?" Susan asked, leaning on the table. "You're not upset
or anything?"
Julie smiled reassuringly, watching out the corner of her eye as the blonde
haired man sat down a few tables from them.
"You know, it's normally me asking those questions," Julie told her, replacing
her purse in her pocket. "Are things okay at the orphanage?"
Susan sighed, both at Julie changing the subject, and the question.
"This whole rule is so... so annoying! I hate it there now, and everyone hates
me too." She shook her head firmly. "I don't care what the headmistress says;
I'm not going back there tonight."
Julie nodded at this.
"It would ruin it if you have to leave half-way through," Julie said in all
seriousness.
"Yeah," Susan said, sounding uncomfortable. Her cheeks began to warm slowly, as
she thought about the night ahead of her. Was it going to hurt? Would he be
gentle, or would she be punished beforehand? Would she be free or bound tightly?
What embarrassed her most was that she couldn't decide which of the options she
would prefer.
"You'll do great," Julie reassured her, hiding a smile. "You've already
impressed me today; I'm surprised you managed to buy those by yourself," she
said, gesturing to the bag.
Julie saw her friend tense up and glance sharply at where the shopping bag sat.
"I did," Susan said weakly, wondering if anyone would see the label on it.
"On the seat isn't very safe," she said, making any excuse to move the bag.
Leaning out quickly over the table, she took hold of it.
Julie only just heard the hiss a moment before Susan cried out in shock.
"Ouch!" she exclaimed, abandoning the bag to grab at her shoulder. Her fingers
touched metal, a small, familiar looking shape embedded in her clothes.
Julie froze for a terrible second, her eyes fixed on the man standing on the
other side of the cafe, angrily reloading the gun in his hand in seeming slow
motion. He finished what he was doing, and began to raise it again, looking back
at her.
She was still screaming silently at herself to move when someone appeared beside
her, pushing the table over. A strong arm slid around her, pulling her to the
ground behind the table as another dart flashed past where her head had been
moments before.
Susan was still seated in her chair, looking at the whole scene with a detached
fascination. People were running from the cafe as fast as they could, several
shouting about a gun. Chairs had been overturned in peoples' haste to get away,
but the remaining tables were still upright.
"Susan!" Julie yelled, pushing the arm away to go to her friend. Uncaring
whether the shooter was still there, Julie grabbed Susan and pulled her down
behind the shelter.
"Julie..." Susan said, trying to keep her voice steady. "I'm a little tired..."
"What happened?" the man asked. Julie glanced over her shoulder, and recognised
the blonde haired guy from earlier.
"I don't know," she replied, fighting tears. Reaching down, she pulled the dart
from Susan's shoulder. Its tip glinted with blood, and there was a slowly
growing stain appearing through her jumper.
"I... she... there was another dart... can you find it?"
He nodded, and dashed off behind her.
Taking a deep breath, Julie slid a hand up Susan's shirt, placing it just below
her sternum. It was an almost automatic response. She barely began to
concentrate on her regenerative skills, before she could feel herself pouring
into her friend, filling her head with information.
It only took a moment before she felt a glimmer of recognition. The drug felt
very similar to what she had been hit with by Moira.
Trying not to sigh with relief, she pulled her hand back and felt the awareness
of Susan fade.
"I can't see it anywhere," the man said, coming back to her. "Someone has called
the ambulance."
"She'll be fine," Julie told him, wiping away the tears from her eyes. "It just
makes her sleep; she'll wake up in an hour or so."
"Are you sure?" the man asked doubtfully.
"Don't worry, I'm certain," she told him, looking up with glistening, violet
eyes. He was young, only a few years older than herself, she guessed.
"I'll take your word for it then. The doctors will still want to check her out
though."
Julie nodded, holding the now unconscious Susan close.
"Tell me..." he began, trying to distract her. "Is it true that you err... feed
from her... you know..."
Julie couldn't help but groan at this.
"Yes," she said, gritting her teeth.
"Oh... so, does that mean you're a..."
"I have a boyfriend," Julie interrupted quickly, looking at him with narrowed
eyes.
"Oh," he said simply, looking a little disappointed. Julie had no intentions of
feeding his fantasy by mentioning Kate.
Ignoring him, Julie reached out and pulled the bag of lingerie close.
What a great trip, Julie thought grimly.
Lying on the hospital bed, Susan slept off the drugs in her system. She was
still dressed in her clothes, one arm pulled up for the IV the doctor had
insisted on. She startled Julie by sitting up suddenly, her eyes wide and
searching.
"What..." she began, before realising where she was.
"Feeling alright?" Julie asked, sitting up in the chair where she had been
waiting. For once the nervousness she seemed to instil in people had come in
handy and she had had no difficulties being allowed to stay.
"I feel like I had a good nights sleep..." Her face fell. "What time is it?"
Julie laughed, relief flooding her thoughts.
"It's about 4:00," she said reassuringly. "You slept for over two hours!"
Susan sighed in relief, and flopped back down onto the bed.
"Is Trig here?" she asked softly.
Julie nodded in reply. "He's waiting outside. He was too fidgety to sit and
watch you here."
Susan giggled softly.
"There was... someone with a gun, did they find him?"
Julie shook her head, looking solemn.
"The police came and interviewed me, and I told them what I knew. They won't
find him though."
"Why?" Susan asked, rolling onto her side.
"Because the dart had the same stuff Moira used on me, so he had to be with the
Dominants."
"Maybe he was a loser Shadow supporter," Susan suggested with a grin.
"Probably," Julie said. There was no need to assume the worst, she thought,
trying to reassure her self.
"This thing itches," Susan complained. She poked irritably at where the IV was
inserted in her hand. "Call a nurse or something." She began pulling at the
transparent tube, but stopped quickly at the pain this caused.
"Don't touch it," Julie said firmly, standing up. It was an effort for Susan to
pull her hand away, especially now that it itched even worse.
"I've had enough of water-filled bags," Susan muttered, glaring up at the IV bag
on the hook beside her.
Julie left the room to find a nurse, saying that Susan was awake now. Trig burst
in a moment later, nearly tearing the IV from her hand with his hug.
The doctor wasn't happy about letting her leave so soon, but a combination of
Trigs' imposing presence and Julies' violet gaze kept him quiet as they helped a
slightly weak Susan out of the room.
"You're still here?" Julie said in surprise, looking down at their blonde
rescuer who was seated outside. He glanced up and shifted in his seat, smiling.
"Everything's fine now?" he asked concernedly. Julie thought it was a little odd
that he didn't even glance at Susan, but she shrugged it off.
"Yeah," she replied. "Um... thanks for your help..." It was hard for her to say
when he was staring up at her, but she managed.
"It's no problem..." He looked at her expectantly.
"Julie," she finished, trying to be polite. As she looked down at him, she was
struck by how attractive he was. The ridge of his nose, the curve of his chin...
"Well, Julie, I must be off," he announced, standing up. "It's been nice meeting
you!" He looked at her, his face close to hers, and then he brushed past her and
strode off down the white corridor of the hospital.
All the way back to Simeon's, Julie couldn't help wondering why their rescuer
had made her uncomfortable. He hadn't even told her his name...
Keeping to the more empty areas of the station, Moira made her way further into
its metallic depths. She knew vaguely where the Computer Core had been, her
eventual destination, but her first priority was to find something to sate the
hunger growing in her body.
A vague sense of unease was creeping into her mind though. As she walked down
the lonely corridors, she suddenly realised what it was. She couldn't smell
humans.
The suit she wore effectively masked her own scent, but every person she had
been forced to avoid smelled like a pure, red-eyed Dominant, which was crazy.
They couldn't survive for long without a human or two, but she hadn't
encountered a single one.
Determined to verify this, Moira went through the first door she could find,
into someone's empty quarters. A quick sniff around made her raise an eyebrow.
She could smell something now, but it was terribly faint.
Nervous about being in the room uninvited, Moira made her search quick. Just as
she was about to give up, she found a collection of what appeared to be
shot-glasses in the corner of the small kitchen that reeked of sex, the smell
alone making her body tingle. Twisting the tap set into the wall above let out a
small stream of sweet-smelling liquid. Without a pause, Moira raised the now
full cup to her lips and swallowed.
"Oh shit," she said, gasping in surprise at its strength. She stared at the tap
in amazement, and a few second later she had downed several more glasses full.
"Sex on tap," Moira said in disbelief, putting down the glass and walking out
into the corridor. "How very tame," she muttered, her eyes scanning the pipes
along the roof. The liquid had to come from somewhere...
"Hmm," she said to herself, identifying one of the pipes. A quick glance along
its length picked out a helpful arrow showing its direction of flow.
"Excellent!" she said in a pleased voice, noticing that following the pipe to
its source would take her in the expected direction of the Computers. Her
black-covered feet slapping softly against the steel floor, she hurried off down
the corridor.
Moira had to abandon the pipe several times to avoid discovery. She suspected
that it was totally pointless as there were most likely several dozen cameras
trained on her, but in a station this big there were a lot of cameras to track,
and she could easily remain unnoticed. It would only take one person to raise
the alarm and remove all doubt however, so she stuck to the shadows.
Her journey came to an end when she arrived at a pair of large, armoured doors.
The corridor was dimly lit, and the walls were uncovered, showing nets of cables
and plumbing along their surfaces. High above her head was the pipe she had been
following, about as thick as her body and arrowing directly through the wall
above. Moira however, knew exactly where she was, right outside the computer
core. Although the area had changed, the doors remained the same.
A quick inspection revealed that they were locked, and playing with the controls
produced nothing but frustration.
"Have to make things difficult!" Moira growled at the walls, giving the panel an
angry hit.
She spent some time exploring around the secure area, locating the other doors
that were just as locked. Other than knowing its rough shape, its contents were
a mystery. Moira had little doubt that there were no longer computers in there.
"Perhaps I should blow the doors in?" she wondered out loud, thinking of the
weapons she remembered would be in the Armoury.
She was just about to leave when the sound of footsteps made her jump. A quick
glance around located a maintenance doorway she could slip into out of view. She
waited in the shadows, and watched as a minute later two white-coated men came
walking down the hall pushing a gurney in front of them.
Moira frowned, wondering if it was a hospital. She was wondering why on earth
they had converted the Computer Core to a hospital when she noticed that the
person on the gurney was one of her captured guards. Her frown turned to a
scowl. That guard was hers, how dare they take her!
The armoured doors began to slide open, the sound of motors straining clearly
audible from behind the door she had her back to. The men pushed the gurney
through, and a second later the door started to close again. Not wasting any
time, Moira emerged from her hiding place and hurried over. Peering around, she
waited until the men had disappeared through a doorway, and then slipped
through.
The room she now stood in was square, angular, and painted in harsh silver.
Directly ahead was the way the men had gone, its perfectly straight path ending
in the distance with a door identical to the one behind her. Either side of her
the entrance split off into a corridor, their walls curving inwards until she
couldn't see any further.
She took a deep breath, and nearly choked on the harsh smell of antiseptic
filling the air. Maybe this was a hospital now, she wondered, eyes starting to
water.
Giving each possible direction a considering look, she headed off after the men.
--
Thanks to slavelucy for her help proof-reading
--
